(TRENTON) – Today, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture announced a partnership with the federal government to reduce organic certification costs as part of the Christie Administration’s ongoing efforts to promote New Jersey-grown and marketed organic food products.

Through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Assistance Organic Certification Cost Share Program, each qualified producer of organic products is eligible for a reimbursement of up to 75 percent of its costs of certification not to exceed $750. Certification costs include fees and charges levied by the certifying agent for certification activities.

To qualify for reimbursement under this program, an organic producer must have been certified or incurred expenses for the continuation of certification during the period of October 1, 2012 and September 30, 2013. Certification must be through a USDA-accredited certifying agent.

In the event that demand exceeds the amount of funds allocated to New Jersey, applications will be processed on a first come, first served basis. Operations may receive one reimbursement per certification or category of certification per year.